The present invention relates to a vending apparatus for dispensing foodstuffs, in particular hot pizzas.
The object of the present invention is to make available a functional and reliable apparatus that enables, in an extremely short period of time, delivery, to the user that has requested it, of a hot pizza the quality of which, in terms of taste and fragrance, is comparable to that of a pizza made in a pizzeria.
In accordance with the present invention, the above object is achieved by providing a dispensing apparatus basically characterized in that it comprises a casing divided into a refrigerated section and a heating section, separated from one and intercommunicating with each other. The refrigerated section includes:
a storage unit arranged for containing a plurality of pre-cooked pizzas, each of which is packaged in a respective sealed container;
pick-up means for removing one pizza at a time from said storage unit by gripping the corresponding container peripherally;
opening means to open the container;
transfer means for taking the pizza out of the container.
The said heating section includes:
an electric oven;
a magazine of stacked disposable trays;
movable supporting means designed for receiving the pizza from said transfer means, transferring it to the heating section and introducing it into the oven, and for depositing the heated pizza on the tray set at the top of the tray magazine; and
delivery means for transferring the pizza onto the corresponding tray outside the container.
The apparatus further includes motor-driven actuator means and control means, which can be activated from outside the casing, normally by means of a slot-machine device or a device for introducing and validating banknotes, and which are provided for controlling the pick-up means, the opening means, the transfer means, the movable supporting means, and the delivery means synchronously according to a pre-set automatic cycle.